This invention relates generally to gardening accessories and more particularly concerns supports for long stemmed plants such as tomato plants and the like.
Proper support will increase a tomato plant's production and, in many cases, help the plant last until frost. Furthermore, in addition to proper support, a tomato plant needs full sun for maximum growth early or until about the time of first harvest. After this time, full sun causes sunspots and cracks on the tomatoes. Few gardeners raise less than 8 tomato plants and many raise 24 or more. Each plant needs its own support. Known plant supports, such as those described by Stuckey in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,519,162 and 4,534,129, Orthman in U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,429 and Riswell in U.S. Pat. No. 1,587,740, use rings supported on one side only by a stake. To offset the leverage applied to the unsupported side of the ring where both the plant stem and branches lean, heavy, clumsy and expensive stakes and rings are required. The number of supports required makes their use too expensive for the average gardener. Furthermore, none of the known plant supports makes any provision whatsoever for temporary shading of the supported plant.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an inexpensive plant support. It is another object of this invention to provide a plant support which is easy to assemble. Another object of this invention is to provide a plant support which flexes with the wind. A collateral object of this invention is to provide a plant support which is lightweight. It is also an object of this invention to provide a plant support adapted to secure a temporary shade over the plant. A further object of this invention is to provide a plant support adapted to direct rainwater to the roots of the supported plant. Another object of this invention is to provide a plant support that is easily anchored in the ground. Alternatively, it is an object of this invention to provide a plant support which may be anchored in a deck planter.